


Pink Roses, Pink Noses

by Suguru_Slut



Series: Bokuaka Oneshots! [14]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baking, Caretaking, Children, Chocolate, Cooking, Cute Kids, Disasters, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Forehead Kisses, Gentle Kissing, Gift Giving, Humor, Husbands, Illnesses, Kissing, M/M, Married Couple, Married Life, Necklaces, Parenthood, Plans, Presents, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sleeping Together, True Love, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, bo tries so hard, kitchen disasters oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:22:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22546231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suguru_Slut/pseuds/Suguru_Slut
Summary: “Alright, Tobio—today’s the day! Are you ready to knock Mommy’s socks off?”“But—But won’t Mommy’s feet get cold?” Tobio’s eyes widened in concern.“It’s just an expression, buddy.”Bokuto really wants this Valentine's Day to be better, but this one might be even more disastrous than last year as he and his son Tobio try to make Akaashi the perfect dinner...
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: Bokuaka Oneshots! [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/814326
Comments: 8
Kudos: 112





	Pink Roses, Pink Noses

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this between two night shifts with my eyes closed. that is all.

Bokuto really wanted this Valentine’s Day to be better than last year’s. Last year, even after meticulous planning, he somehow managed to burn the cake to a crisp, spilled red wine all over the sappy card he picked out for Akaashi, massacred the fancy recipe he attempted to make…but the worst mistake he made last Valentine’s Day was misplacing the very expensive chocolate-infused diamond ring he planned on giving his husband when he and their son returned from a weekend trip to Akaashi’s parent’s house. Bokuto spent two-hours searching, only to come up completely empty and sobbing on the kitchen floor surrounded by his mess when Akaashi and a very confused Tobio came through the apartment door. It was, in gentle terms, a total disaster. Sure, it made Keiji laugh harder than he had in a while and Tobio happily ate the burnt blueberry cake, and yes, they did eventually find the lost ring sometime in late summer, but Bokuto was seeking redemption. This year, everything would turn out perfectly.

Akaashi would be at work until three. He had permission to leave a few hours early, and since Bokuto begged for the entire day off from work, he was taking it upon himself to create the best Valentine’s dinner ever; Tobio, their four-year-old son had been eagerly waiting for the day he could help his dad decorate the apartment in red and pink hearts. The conniving pair woke up at six a.m., got dressed and whispered about their plan in the living room while Akaashi slept soundly before he had to get up for work.

“Alright, Tobio—today’s the day! Are you ready to knock Mommy’s socks off?”

“But—But won’t Mommy’s feet get cold?” Tobio’s eyes widened in concern.

“It’s just an expression, buddy.”

“Oh. Yeah!”

“Alright! First stop, we’re going to cover this apartment in hearts; I’ve already got pink and red paper, see?” Bokuto held up a stack of over a hundred pieces of colored construction paper, to which Tobio ooed at. “Then what are we going to do?”

“Umm…wrap Mommy’s presents?”

“You got it! Then after that we’re going to start _baking_ ; you love baking, don’t you, Tobio?”

“Yes!” The little boy said seriously, pupils darkening at the mere idea of baked goods. “But—But no burning this time.”

“Yeah yeah, no burning this time…and no burning the fancy steaks we’re making, either, right?”

“Right!”

“Now let’s get to work!”

Bokuto and Tobio performed their secret handshake just as Akaashi drug himself out of the bedroom, hair a mess and a half-hearted scowl on his face. He stood in the doorway waiting until his crazy boys were finished before mumbling to his husband.

“Why’re you both up so early?” Akaashi questioned, rubbing at his eye tiredly. His husband scooped Tobio up and hopped over to where Keiji stood, leaning the toddler closer so he could plant a big sloppy kiss on his mother’s cheek.

“Muah!”

“Aww, so cute, Tobi!” Bokuto cooed, pinching the toddler’s cheek lovingly. “What do we say when we get free kisses, ‘Kaashi?”

“Thank you, Tobio,” Akaashi sighed with a straight face. His next words betrayed his happiness. “Can I give you a kiss, too?”

“Mhm!”

Bokuto grinned as he handed their son over, Akaashi pushing Tobio’s sleek black bangs back so he could kiss the soft skin of his forehead; the toddler giggled in response, a rare smile sneaking to his lips. Tobio didn’t showcase his emotions very well (per his mother figure), and only his parents could tell he was happy by looking into those big blue eyes and seeing the shine within their deep color. He seemed happy enough now, giving Akaashi a bundle of kisses on his cheeks as the receiver laughed lowly, lovingly. Bokuto wished they could have one of their lazy mornings and watch cartoons together while cramped underneath a single blanket, but Akaashi had to leave, and he and Tobio had a lot of work to do before three.

“Don’t forget to give Tobio his eyedrops at noon,” Keiji reminded his husband while sliding his jacket on, eyes scanning the area for his keys. “And make sure he doesn’t blink them out this time, either.”

“I got this, Akaashi! Don’t worry!”

Bokuto pouted when his husband’s eyebrows cocked in remembrance, no doubt the images of last year’s Valentine’s Day running through his head. _Man, am I going to show him this year!_ Koutarou thought excitedly, following Akaashi to the door as Tobio waited in the living room. _He’s going to be so shocked when he comes home to steak and wine and cake and kisses! This year for sure. This time, I’ve got everything planned down to the button: even the perfectly timed babysitter to take care of Tobio while his parents slip off to a lavish love motel for the night…hehe._

“Before I forget,” Akaashi brought his husband’s attention back, sliding a small wrapped box out from his pocket. “Here. This is for you and Tobio.”

“Keijiiiii, you bought me something?!” Koutarou whined happily, ripping apart the wrapping as Tobio ran up to check out the scene. “What is it?!”

“You’ll see.”

Bokuto tore open the small box, moving slower with the tissue paper in case the gift was delicate; Tobio was grabbing on his arm to get a better look, unable to read what the tickets said. Judging by the look on his father’s face, they were either highly expensive or super awesome.

“Are these…tickets to the Olympic volleyball finals match?”

Akaashi smiled, then, entertained by the shocked expression on Bokuto’s face as their son came to terms with the gift, face equally amusing as his mouth fell open in surprise, eyes suddenly dark with intense energy.

“Olympic…bolleyball?” Tobio repeated. “Mommy, you’re pranking us?”

“No, sweetie, it’s not a prank. I got us all tickets for the final match in August.”

A shout and a high-pitched scream echoed throughout the apartment, Keiji only having a second before he was snatched into a tight hug by his husband and son, screaming and yelling all the way. Akaashi was used to these noises, of course, and couldn’t help but laugh lightly and smile along as Bokuto tossed their group around cheerfully.

“Olym _pics_ , Olym _pics_!” Tobio screeched, so excited his face was getting red.

“Hell yeah, buddy, we’re going to the Olympics!!!”

Akaashi wormed his way out of the hug before he gave into his domestic urges and called off work for the entire day like Bokuto had; Tobio and Bokuto danced together for a few minutes, giving Akaashi time to gather his things and head towards the door.

“Now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to work.”

“Keiji, wait!”

“I’m going to be late, Kout—”

Bokuto didn’t take no for an answer, grabbing his husband by the waist and spinning him around for a soft thank-you kiss on the lips. Akaashi pretended he really was going to be late, but the dizzy swirls in his midnight blue eyes gave away his true feelings.

“Thanks for the tickets, ‘Kaashi,” Koutarou smiled fondly. “And Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“Mm…”

_Maybe I should call in sick._

“Your card’s on the table,” Akaashi added, spinning out of his husband’s grip and heading towards the door. “Be a good boy, Tobio.”

“I will! Bye bye, Mommy!” Tobio waved.

“See you later, babe!”

The second the door closed, Bokuto let out another screech of happiness, carefully setting the tickets back in the safety of their box and running to where an envelope with his name on it sat on their kitchen island. Akaashi had Tobio help decorate with pink heart stickers and glitter (far too much glitter) but elegantly wrote his husband’s name amidst the chaotic décor; Bokuto carefully peeled the envelope open and stepped back as more glitter fell out, shaking his head before glancing over the card.

_To my loving husband:_

_You try so hard, work even harder;_

_You entertain my silly worries,_

_Push away my strongest doubts,_

_And you’re always there when I need you…_

Bokuto flipped the card open, heart fluttering like a sucker.

_Here’s to another always. Happy Valentine’s Day_

_Love, Keiji_

_(and Tobio)_

“Tobio, get your cute butt in here!”

The toddler paddled in curiously, cheeks getting pink when he saw the card his father was holding with a big bright grin.

“Buddy, did you help Mommy decorate my card?”

“Mhm…but…I put too much glitter on…”

“No no no, I _loved_ the glitter!” Bokuto spoke honestly, ruffling his son’s hair affectionately. “You and Mommy are too good to me. Thanks for the card.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Tch—when did you get all polite, huh?”

Tobio couldn’t dodge quick enough, trapped in a kitchen corner while Bokuto tickled the life out of him, only relenting when his phone alarm went off, signaling the start of their Valentine’s Day plan; the pressure was on. Akaashi gave them Olympic tickets. To the final _volleyball_ match. Bokuto tried not to feel like his gift was lame compared to that and took a deep breath, focusing on what he had to do to make tonight _perfect_. He heaved a flushed Tobio into his arms and set off into the apartment determinedly, plopping them both in front of the pink and red paper with a dangerous amount of wacky scissors already laid out.

_This day has to work out. It has to._

“Let’s get to work, Tobi!”

Firstly, Bokuto and Tobio cut out over a hundred and fifty paper hearts, varying red and pink hues—it was Tobio’s idea to tape some on a string and hang it over the entryway for when Akaashi came back home. Once every wall, table and piece of furniture was thoroughly covered, they moved on to wrapping presents. Bokuto let his son pick the red wrapping paper with pink bunnies printed on it for Akaashi’s necklace, then began the tedious task of wrapping Tobio’s gift for Keiji: hiding under a corner of his son’s bed was a little over two-hundred half-failed paper mâché cranes with little hearts drawn on them. The later ones were definitely better, but Tobio kept insisting he wanted his mother to have all of his trial runs as well. Bokuto didn’t have the heart to say no, nor did he have the heart to tell Tobio they could have easily put all the cranes into a special bag instead of putting them in a big crumpled sheet of wrapping paper. With only roughly twenty inside each bundle. But if that’s what he wanted to do…

“Daddy—I have an idea!”

“A better idea than individually wrapping all these little suckers?” Bokuto hoped quietly, finishing up with the final twenty-five paper cranes.

“We should hide these around the house!”

“Eh? Like a scavenger hunt, you mean?”

“Yeah, like a hunt!” Tobio nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve and making Koutarou cringe, even though he did the same at his age (and in recent years, too). “And when Mommy gets home he can find them, and when—and when he opens them, he’ll just keep finding paper cranes!”

“Pffft! That’s actually a great idea, Tobio,” Bokuto snickered, imagining Akaashi’s happy but confused face when he kept finding clumsily made paper cranes everywhere. “I love it—let’s hide them now before we start baking.”

“Um…I actually have to wrap another present…”

“Oh? For who?”

“You, silly,” Tobio huffed, like it were obvious. He turned back to peek underneath his bed, nodding when he saw whatever he was looking for. _What kind of stuff is that kid keeping down there?_ “Can you hide Mommy’s presents for me?”

“Sure. You need any help?”

“Mm…I _think_ I can do it by myself…”

“Sure you can, kiddo,” Koutarou encouraged, ruffling his son’s hair while collecting the messy wrapping paper bundles. “I’ll go hide these and get started baking, okay?”

Tobio nodded surely, turning focus mode on when he turned back around to grab whatever gift was hidden underneath his bed; Bokuto couldn’t help but smile softly, seeing more sides of Akaashi in their son every passing day. Which was probably a good thing. He inherited enough competitiveness from Bokuto to last a lifetime. After hiding Tobio’s gifts around the apartment (even slipping one underneath Akaashi’s pillow), Koutarou went to work with the chocolate—after last year’s disappointing cake, he decided something homemade would really redeem his romantic reputation, and so purchased a book on how to make homemade chocolates. Since Akaashi’s favorite was coucougnette, a French chocolate confection, Bokuto had purchased almonds, dark chocolate and a bunch of fancy utensils that would help him make the best damn Valentine’s chocolate ever. It took him about an hour and a half to form the coucougnettes because his procedure was very delicate—they would _not_ turn out like that cake last year. They were going to be perfect and delicious, possibly used in a bedroom scenario later on.

“Okay, Tobio, now all we have to is stick them in the oven until they _just_ start to golden,” Koutarou told his son, sliding the pan carefully into the oven before turning and realizing Tobio was nowhere to be found. Then again, had Tobio been here at all since his father started baking? He loved baking with his parents, rarely missing any of the action when the opportunity arose—so why was he not here now? “Hm…I better go find him…”

Bokuto was proud of how little a mess he made (definitely an improvement from last year when Akaashi was cleaning flour out from every nook and cranny for months after), untying his apron and scanning around the apartment for his son; as it turns out, Tobio was still in his room, having finished wrapping a small box and proceeding to take a nap on the carpet right beside his mess of tape. His butt was in the air, head mashed into a scrap of paper and drool gluing some choppy ribbons to his tiny chin; Bokuto held back a loud cackle and crept inside, gently nudging the boy awake. Tobio’s eyes were crusted and needed a long moment to open wide, confused dark eyes peering up as if he had no idea where he was.

“Hey, buddy—did you get so bored wrapping my present you fell asleep?” Bokuto chuckled, taking note of a few used tissues on the floor.

“Mmm…five more minutes, Daddy…”

“No way, we’ve only got that long until the _chocolates_ are done!”

That got Tobio’s attention. He sat up abruptly, looking around to see if the chocolates were in the same room; the disappointment on his face was almost heartbreaking when he realized he was still lying on his bedroom floor.

“Where?” The toddler asked seriously.

“In the kitchen, dude. Come on, let’s get you up.”

Upon standing Bokuto noticed more snot about to drip from Tobio’s nose, catching it just in time—well, he _would_ have caught it in time, had his son not picked that exact moment to give a violent sneeze, sending the snot halfway across the room and nearly blowing Tobio back on his butt.

“Holy moly! That was a pretty powerful sneeze, Tobi!” Koutarou said in amazement, hurriedly grabbing more tissues to wipe the mess off the boy’s face. Tobio scrunched his nose up in irritation but was apparently too tired to fight against being clean. “You’re not getting sick, I hope…”

“M’not.”

“Hmm…better keep an eye on it, just in case. We better change your shirt before Mommy comes home and thinks I let you run around with a booger shirt on.”

“Hehe.”

“Yeah, it’s funny now, but not when Mommy sees it, right?”

Tobio’s suddenly fearful expression made Bokuto laugh again, and he swiped the boy up and grabbed him another Valentine’s Day shirt from his holiday drawer; this one was pink and had a large heart outlined in purple on the front with the word HEARTBREAKER. Akaashi always said it was accurate, and Bokuto had to agree, because Tobio got it from his mother.

“There—all better! Now we’ll hide this shirt in the laundry and make sure Mommy never finds out, right?”

“Right! Lying is good!”

“No no, lying is _not_ good, but sometimes it’s necessary,” Bokuto said wisely, chucking the dirty shirt in the hamper.

“But…won’t Mommy be even more mad when he finds out we lied?” Tobio wondered.

“Well…probably. But that’s a problem for another day.”

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

 _…The smoke detector?_ Koutarou wondered in confusion, glancing up at the flashing red light on the hallway ceiling. _Why would the smoke detector be…_

_Oh **shit**._

“No!!! The coucougnette!!!”

“Poopoo-gnat?” Tobio repeated, hurrying after his father as they sprinted towards the kitchen

“Coucougnette! A French chocolate with roasted almonds smothered in dark chocolate dipped in raspberry juice!”

“Ooo, I want some, I want some!”

Bokuto could feel his blood pressure spiking as they entered the kitchen, a deceptively small amount of grey smoke slipping out of the oven corner; after pushing Tobio back, Koutarou went in, shoving an oven mitt on before sticking his hand in to salvage the chocolates. He immediately closed the door after retrieving the pan, alarm still beeping wildly in the background, Tobio watching with wide eyes as Bokuto dropped the steaming pan on the island—the smoke cleared away, leaving behind a sad mess of French coucougnette burnt to a crisp, almonds, raspberry juice and all. In fact, the whole pan looked as if it had went through an incinerator. It was one of the most dejecting moments of Bokuto’s life. He looked at Tobio’s equally depressed expression, and the pair could do nothing but stare at each other for a long, painful minute, coming to grips with the fact that another attempt at baking on Valentine’s Day was ruined.

“I don’t understand!” Bokuto cried anxiously, tossing the oven mitt aside and flipping through the recipe. “Even though it was in there for a few minutes longer than I planned, it shouldn’t have burst into flames like that! What the heck went wrong, Tobio?!”

“Did you read the recipe?”

“Yes! A thousand times! ‘After dipping the chocolates in raspberry sauce, place directly on parchment paper and set on pan. Turn the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. 220 degrees Celsius is 520 degrees Fahrenheit, right, Tobi?”

Tobio shrugged, watching as his father whipped out his phone and searched for a conversion table.

“See?! If I type 220 into this calculator, then it converts, and then it says 220 equals—”

 _Calculation:_ 220 degrees Celsius = 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Bokuto quietly set his phone down on the table. He glanced back at the oven that read 520 instead of 425, then forced himself to look at the murdered chocolates charred to Akaashi’s best cooking pan. The smoke was beginning to clear, at least…Tobio peered over the island edge, nose sticking up and sniffing at the terrible smell, but he didn’t comment yet. After mourning for a few more minutes, the toddler spoke sadly.

“No poopoo-gnat?”

“No…sorry, buddy. Looks like I screwed up again.”

“Well…why don’t we _buy_ some poopoo-gnat-te?” Tobio suggested. “We can tell Mommy we made them, and he’ll be so proud of us, Daddy!”

“But that’s lying, Tobio!” Bokuto reasoned. “But since we can’t fail again, looks like we’re going to have to become liars. Grab your coat, Tobi—we’ve gotta run to the candy store!”

Normally a trip to the candy store meant a very rambunctious Tobio and a very stressed Koutarou, but his toddler was strangely docile on the ride over and when they entered _Kuroo’s Candies_. In fact, Tobio seemed a little out of it as they scoured the large shop trying to locate the French chocolate section, which was harder then it seemed because there were over ten French sections scattered in three different parts of the location. _Guess the concept of lying to Akaashi is hitting him pretty hard_ , Bokuto worried, tugging a dragging Tobio behind him as they finally found the coucougnette. To think his chocolate creations had been this beautiful at one point in time…

“Look who’s scrambling to get his husband something delicious! Cutting it a little short, aren’t we, Bo?”

“Not in the mood, Kuroo!” Bokuto warned, snatching two boxes of coucougnettes and giving them to Tobio to hold. He didn’t see how the boy used one of the red ribbons to wipe his nose. “I get a discount on these, right?”

“Hell no—I gotta make a huge profit on Valentine’s Day!”

“Come on, Kuroo, help a brother out! Besides, isn’t 4,000¥ a little steep for a single box?”

Kuroo went quiet for a second, and Koutarou thought he might get lucky with the price, but no such luck. A shit-eating grin met him when he glanced back over.

“You’re trying to make Akaashi a nice Valentine’s dinner again, aren’t you?”

“Yes, now please shut your trap and ring up my chocolates—I still have to start marinating the steaks and whipping salads up!”

“Yes, sir! Come on, Tobs, we gotta save your dad!” Kuroo hurried, snatching Tobio up and sprinting them to the first line. Bokuto was so thrilled about getting the price knocked half-off he didn’t notice Tobio refusing Kuroo’s offer to scan the chocolates through the register. Instead, he used a nearby empty wrapper to blow a big glob of snot into.

“Do you want these gift wrapped for an extra 500¥?”

“What? No! Tobio and I are going to make it look like _we_ made them!”

“You’re going to lie,” Kuroo repeated, raising an eyebrow. “To _Akaashi_.”

“Listen, you know I’m not proud of it, but after the last disaster I really want to knock it out of the park this year!” Bokuto ranted anxiously, grabbing at his hair as a line began to form behind them. “We just want him to know how much we love him, right, Tobi?”

When a few seconds passed without any acknowledgement, Bokuto had to look over at the toddler, who had slumped over a jar of candies sitting by the register and had his eyes closed tiredly; snot was running down his nostrils again, and the tip of his nose was starting to look irritated.

“Tobio? What’s wrong, buddy?”

“He isn’t looking too good,” Kuroo noted, watching as Bokuto placed a hand on the boy’s forehead to discover its outrageous heat. “Does he have a fever?”

“Yeah…but…that doesn’t make sense! He was fine this morning!” Koutarou worried, watching his son’s bloodshot eyes opening and glancing around in a daze. “Tobio, are you okay? Are you feeling icky?”

“Mm…kinda…”

“Oi!” A guy with slicked hair and slitted green eyes called from behind them. “We’ve all got partners that need chocolate, too! Hurry it up!”

“Suguru, the only partner you’ll be giving chocolate to better be me!” Kuroo shouted back at his boyfriend. “What are you doing in line, anyway?! You said you’d meet me in the back alley!”

“You’re a life saver, Kuroo,” Bokuto sighed gratefully, scooping an increasingly dizzy Tobio in his arms, bag of chocolates hanging off the other. “I better get Tobi home. See you later!”

“May the force be with you, Bo.”

“You better hope I don’t use any force if this line doesn’t start moving!”

“Security, can I have an escort out on register one?”

Bokuto hurried outside and threw the chocolates into the backseat before gently placing his son in his car seat, buckling him in and doing a more thorough investigation on his health; _he doesn’t look too flushed yet_ , Koutarou observed, feeling Tobio’s temperature once again. _Have his eyes been red all day? How did I not notice? He was blowing his nose a lot earlier…hopefully it’s just a little cold. I think we have medicine at home. Ah shit, I forgot about his eyedrops, too!_

“It’s okay, Tobio,” His father lied to both of them, spinning out of the parking lot and speeding home. “You’ll feel better soon, and then we’ll have a great dinner with Mommy, alright?”

Tobio did not feel better soon.

In fact, Tobio looked even worse by the time they got back to the apartment. His cheeks became flushed, the mucus in his nose became thicker and he was almost in full sick mode, and Bokuto knew how needy sick Tobio was; throwing the chocolates aside, he rushed Tobio into his bedroom and began layering him in clothing and blankets. He hoped a quick nap would bring his son back to earth, if only for tonight. They didn’t have the medicine Bokuto thought they did, which left him no choice but to run out (with Tobio whining in the backseat) and grab some, and by that time his poor son was sniffling and crying from discomfort. He was tired, but couldn’t sleep because his nostrils were plugged. He liked lying on his stomach, but couldn’t because it made his chest ache. Another hour passed without any of their Valentine’s Day plans coming together, unopened chocolates from Kuroo’s shop sitting on the counter.

“There—that should help you sleep, Tobio,” Bokuto exhaled, wiping his Vaseline covered fingers off with a tissue. He used the other half to wipe Tobio’s nose again. “Does that feel better?”

“Mm…” His son groaned, eyes scrunching shut uncomfortably.

“Don’t worry—you’ll nap it off and be up in time for Mommy to get home!”

“Urrh…”

 _It’s okay. I can still save the day!_ Bokuto hoped silently, hurriedly sticking a cold patch onto Tobio’s forehead. _All I have to do is throw the steaks in the oven…that won’t take too long…and since it’s only about one, I should have time to make salads and get rid of the chocolate evidence._

“Daddddyyyy,” Tobio whined in agony, pulling at his rosy nose. “It makes my nose hurt…”

“I know, buddy, I know! The medicine should kick in pretty soon, okay?”

More snot pooled from the toddler’s nostril, and although Koutarou felt bad for further irritating Tobio’s nose with tissues, he wiped until the area was dry, holding the boy’s struggling body with his free hand. This was not good at all. There was still so much to be done, food to cook, kitchens to clean, and now Tobio was having a fit, kicking and crying uncomfortably—Akaashi was always better at calming their child down, but he wouldn’t be here until after three, and Bokuto wasn’t itching to break the news that their big date night was falling apart at the seams _again_. Couldn’t one Valentine’s Day work out for them?

Bokuto didn’t have time to worry. He rushed around trying to locate more tissues, the lotion infused ones because they were softer on Tobio’s already raw nose, then he scooted around his mess in the kitchen to make soup that Tobio refused to eat, then after that he tried giving him warm tea, which he sipped at slowly but managed to hold down. Between doting on the four-year-old and searching up home remedies on his phone, Bokuto didn’t have much time for thinking about what he could do to save Valentine’s Day. In fact, time didn’t even occur to him until after Tobio’s huge bloody nose episode when the apartment door suddenly opened and closed.

“Wha—who’s there?” Koutarou shouted in alarm.

“Your husband; who else would it be?”

It took Bokuto a long moment to process that reply from his partner; after a minute of blank staring, horrified shock filled his bones, quickly glancing down at his watch and horrified at what he saw.

“Eh?!!! Akaashi?! Wha—it can’t be three already!!!”

“Strange…I thought you would be excited for me to come home early,” Akaashi could be heard saying, hanging up his coat just as Bokuto realized what mess he would be walking into and jumped off Tobio’s bed, Naruto running as fast as he could. “Where are you boys a…”

Just as Koutarou burst onto the scene, Akaashi’s words died in his throat, stumbling upon the black mess in the kitchen: his best cooking sheet pan was charred on every side, decorated by what looked like lumps of coal glued to the top surface. The island top was equally as black, half-empty soup can dripping near a corner next to a dirty pot, although a pretty box of _Kuroo’s Candies_ chocolates sat misplaced amongst the mess. Also, the oven mitt was stained black and seemed to have a hole at the tip. Akaashi’s midnight blue eyes scanned over one disaster and to another, the living room table where a hurricane of pink and red paper scraps were scattered _everywhere_ —in the carpet, between the couch cushions, many outside the garbage can, clumped together with glue and what looked like some kind of glitter…Bokuto at least hoped his husband had noticed the adorable hearts hung around the apartment that came from that mess.

Keiji was quiet for a moment. Messes, he was used to, but Koutarou’s dejected spirit told him their tornado of an apartment was the least of their worries.

“…I take it things didn’t go as planned?”

“No!” Bokuto wailed, dramatically hanging on his husband’s shoulders in exhaustion. “I tried so hard this year, too, ‘Kaashi! I really wanted it to be perfect to make up for last year and all, but then I didn’t convert the degrees right so your chocolates burned…and then Kuroo told me to lie and tell you we made the ones I bought at his store, but then Tobio suddenly got really sick, and I’ve been running around trying to take care of him so I didn’t get time to marinate the steaks yet, and…” He let out a pained whine, slumping further into Akaashi’s neck. “I’m sorry. My stupid ass failed again.”

“Plans don’t always work out,” Keiji shrugged, wrapping his arms around Bokuto and pulling him close in comfort. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“How can you say that when I’ve ruined the last two Valentine’s for us?!”

“It’s fine, Bokuto-san; we can just celebrate tomorrow. No big deal.”

“It is a big deal!!! _Today_ is Valentine’s Day, not tomorrow!”

Already having enough of his husband’s wilted attitude, Akaashi leaned forward and planted a soft, forgiving kiss right on his lips, getting Bokuto to shut up for at least a minute. The taller man flinched in surprise, early returning the favor once he realized his beloved husband wasn’t nearly as upset as he was, despite the messes, the destroyed kitchen, the dirty tissues and pink paper scattered everywhere…Keiji leaned back after a moment, hoping he calmed down Koutarou enough where he wouldn’t continue to blame himself for fate switching up on them every Valentine’s Day.

“You’re ridiculous,” Akaashi added as an afterthought, making his husband pout. “I love that about you.”

“Yeah, yeah…you’re just saying that because it’s Valentine’s Day and you have to!”

That response made Keiji snort with laughter, ducking his head at the ridiculous accusation. Bokuto never failed at finding some way to blame himself; it was as troublesome as it was endearing, and after coming home to…whatever this was, Akaashi could use some comic relief.

“How can you be laughing?! This is the second romantic occasion I’ve ruined for us!”

“Only the second?”

“Gah—exactly!”

The dark-haired male laughed again, confusing Bokuto further by merging their hands and leading him down the hallway past all the messes towards Tobio’s room. Akaashi’s whole “past caring” demeanor was confusing and terrifying to his husband, who kept waiting for a spanking or some other form of punishment like no cuddling for an entire day. The tension was killing him.

“Aren’t you going to scold me about the messes we made?”

“Later,” Keiji promised. “I want to visit Tobio first.”

~~~-~~~

Bokuto liked to think their son didn’t have a favorite parent, but he would admit there was just something about crawling into your mother’s arms when you were sick that made everything seem better. Tobio did just that after his parents doted on him for many more hours, whimpering for Akaashi when his tired eyes located him, curling into Keiji’s welcoming arms as they all three squeezed onto his bed late into the evening.

“Is my boy feeling better?” Akaashi cooed, getting a fond smile from his husband and more cuddles from Tobio. “The medicine’s kicked in now.”

“Mm…”

“I’m sorry you feel so terribly, Tobi. But I’m sure Daddy took good care of you today.”

Tobio nodded tiredly, arms wrapped around Keiji’s waist as far as he could reach, his mother calmly petting his hair while subtly checking his fever.

“I gave him soup a few hours ago, but since he didn’t really want that I had him sip on tea.”

“Good.”

“But I did forget his eyedrops.”

Akaashi nodded, too worn out and concerned over his son to really care about eyedrops, anyway; it was still early, but Tobio needed rest, so they tucked him in together and gave him one last dose of medicine so he would sleep easier. Bokuto was happy to not be the only person taking care of their son—it was too much pressure being a single parent for all of seven hours. Plus, Akaashi was better at getting Tobio to take his medicine.

“Alright, Tobio, you can go to sleep, now! Mommy and I will be here when you wake up, okay?”

“Don’t forget,” Tobio croaked, weak hand pointing towards the floor. “Don’t forget…your presents.”

“Man, I almost forgot!” Bokuto cheered quietly, snatching his box off the floor. “What’s inside, Tobi?”

“Let’s read the card first, dear.”

Keiji took off a red card with a scribbled heart on the front, husband leaning over to see the drawing.

“To Mommy and Daddy,” Akaashi read, flipping the card open and revealing more hearts glued together and lots and lots of glitter. “You are my favorite. I like you more than blueberries. I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day from Tobio.”

“Aww!” Koutarou cooed as his husband kissed Tobio on his tiny pink nose, getting a small smile out of the sick child. “Let’s see what I got—woah, a friendship rock! Look, ‘Kaashi, he painted a little heart on it and everything!” Bokuto cheered quietly. He reached over and pinched Tobio’s cheek lightly. “Thanks, buddy—I love it. I’ll keep it forever and ever.”

“Can we,” The boy started weakly, eyes struggling to stay open. “Can we…do Mommy’s…”

“Tomorrow, buddy,” Bokuto promised, winking at his partner. “We hid your presents around the apartment. It’s like a scavenger hunt or something.”

“Then I look forward to it tomorrow, Tobio.”

“Mhm. I’m going back to sleep.”

Bokuto snickered at their son, each parent giving him one last kiss on his nose before throwing another blanket over him and exiting, making sure there was plenty of tissues around for when they came and checked on him during the night. As they moved into their own bedroom, Bokuto had to wonder how the day would have turned out if he hadn’t burned the chocolates and if Tobio hadn’t come down with a cold: would he and Akaashi be having wild sex in the motel room while Tobio snored so loudly he kept Kenma, their babysitter up? Maybe they could have even experimented with chocolate in the bedroom?...

“Ahhh,” Koutarou sighed heavily as he threw himself onto the bed, sprawled out on his back and immediately closing his eyes as Akaashi crawled in beside him. “What a day. Burnt chocolate, runny noses, pink hearts…if you ignore all the snot and smoke, this wasn’t a totally terrible Valentine’s Day, was it?”

“I don’t know why you’re so upset about this day,” Keiji wondered out-loud, curling up on his husband’s chest tiredly. “You make every day Valentine’s Day.”

“I kind of do, don’t I?”

“Mhm. You’re a sap.”

“Now we know where Tobio gets it from,” Bokuto laughed lightly. Akaashi loved the feeling of his laugh rumbling through his chest. “Even on his bad days, he sure knows how to butter us up, huh?”

“Mm. Wonder who he gets that from.”

Keiji just had to peek his eyes open to catch his husband’s adoring grin. It turned mischievous in the blink of an eye, Akaashi being launched off his chest as a realization hit Bokuto—all hope was not lost. Yes, the steaks hadn’t been cooked, they weren’t able to make it to their love motel reservations, ruined the kitchen with burnt chocolates and had a sick son next door, but there was one more surprise Bokuto had that might redeem his reputation as a husband.

“Hey!” Bokuto exclaimed, crawling off the bed and stealthily running away to snatch his husband’s gift from Tobio’s closet where he hid it earlier (but not too hidden). “I almost forgot again!”

“Forgot what?”

Keiji almost went flying when Bokuto jumped back onto the bed, scrambling on his knees holding out a rectangular box wrapped in bunnies with a ribbon tied neatly tied around it.

“A present for my lovey dovey husband!”

“You remembered where you put it this year?”

“Tch— _yes_ , I did, ‘Kaashi. Open it, open it!”

Bokuto wiggled around nervously as his husband carefully slid the ribbon off and tore the paper—Akaashi didn’t care much for jewelry unless he received it as a gift, and hopefully he wouldn’t mind how much Koutarou paid for it…maybe he just wouldn’t tell him until the credit card bill came. If this gift looked as good on Akaashi as Bokuto expected, maybe he could get away with spoiling his partner. Then again, maybe Akaashi would get pissed about the mess in the kitchen and living room and return the gift as punishment…

_Please like it, please like it!_

Painfully unexpressive midnight blue eyes stared at the opened black box, blinking once and taking in the sight of a silver chain with a dangling pink rose, light reflecting off glistening stones that made-up the petals. The charm on the necklace was small, but not so small you wouldn’t be able to notice its beauty; Bokuto thought it contrasted Akaashi’s dark hair and eyes nicely. At least, that’s what the salesperson said when he described his husband to her. Koutarou bit at his fingers anxiously, worried over Akaashi’s silence as he slid the necklace from its package, rose resting in the palm of his hand as he inspected quietly. Following a long moment of silence, Keiji finally spoke up in a soft, reverent voice.

“It’s beautiful.”

“…But?”

“But nothing,” Akaashi shrugged, running a finger over the rose jewels. “I just wish I hadn’t ordered you the wrong gift a month ago—I’m still waiting for the right one to come. Sorry.”

“Aww, Akaashi’s a screw-up just like me!”

Keiji rolled his eyes playfully, motioning for Bokuto to put the necklace around his neck, which he gladly did; just like everything else, the necklace looked incredible on Akaashi, who continued softly touching the charm with his fingertips and admiring its soft rose gems and silver stem. He went quiet again, choosing to curl up on his husband’s chest while still staring at the necklace, as if he couldn’t believe it was real. Eventually Keiji leaned up to give Bokuto a long kiss on the lips, and through that Koutarou could finally tell Akaashi honestly wasn’t upset about the messes and disaster of a holiday.

“That’s your ‘I’m happy but I don’t want to admit it’ face,” Bokuto grinned, keeping his face close to Keiji’s with hopes he would earn another kiss.

“Is it?”

“Yup! So, are you going to tell me what you got me?”

“You’ll find out in a week or so,” Akaashi replied ever so cruelly. When Koutarou whined in disapproval, he was rewarded with a slender hand sliding lower than his side. “But since you went through all this trouble, how about I give you another present?”

Soft lips clashed with Koutarou’s once more, this time more passionate and determined; after cleaning up snot and charred chocolate all day long, these calming sensations were much welcomed. Bokuto sighed and let Akaashi control their languid movements, lips slowly moving together and rose charm dangling between them—Bokuto liked looking at that as much as he liked looking at the two rings on Keiji’s fingers, liked feeling their cold surface brush against his own skin while his husband wrapped himself around Koutarou’s body. Both tried not to wonder how much further they would be right now if Tobio hadn’t gotten sick, prompting them to cancel their motel room…

“Thank you for the necklace,” Akaashi whispered honestly when they pulled away. “It’s beautiful.”

“Sure—sorry about the mess.”

“I’m not convinced…you better make it up to me.”

“Okay! We’ll have steak and wine and chocolates right away tomorrow,” Bokuto thought ahead, not catching onto Akaashi’s hint even as slender hands dipped further down his waist. “Maybe if Tobio’s feeling better we can go to a motel like we planned. You know, we should really just skip actual Valentine’s Day; it’s starting to be a really taboo holiday.”

“True. You did propose to me on that day.”

“Kaashi, mean!”

Just as Akaashi giggled into Bokuto’s chest, a shuffling noise at the door alerted them to someone’s presence—the parents glanced over to see Tobio in his baggy heart pajamas hovering by the doorway, sniffling and staring quietly, waiting for someone to invite him in. It would have scared the crap out of his father if he wasn’t so used to turning corners and finding his son in such a terrifying position.

“Tobi, what’s wrong? Weren’t you comfortable?”

“Sleep…with Mommy and Daddy,” Tobio said drowsily, medicine kicking in as he shuffled over to their bed. “I love Mommy and Daddy…”

“Little cockblocker,” Bokuto mumbled under his breath, earning a pinch from Akaashi, who helped his son onto the bed and squished the boy between them snugly. “I mean—sure! Come join us, Tobio!”

Koutarou adjusted himself so that he and Akaashi were facing each other on their sides, Tobio cuddled between them with a large wad of blanket covering him all the way up to his chin. His eyes drifted shut immediately, soothed by the comfort of both parents, falling asleep within a manner of minutes; Keiji stroked his hair softly, Bokuto admiring the pretty sight, keeping a close eye on the new piece of jewelry on Akaashi’s neck. There was still glitter pieces on Tobio’s face from earlier (and probably more all over his clothes), adding a strange sparkle to his dreary face, although he was still adorable with his round cheeks and pink rose. Koutarou couldn’t resist giving it a tiny peck, leaning up after to give another onto his husband’s, too. A soft smile only reserved for quiet moments like this slid to Akaashi’s lips, and he mouthed a gentle _I love you_ , partly as a realization to himself, partly meant for Bokuto.

“Love you, too, ‘Kaashi. I don’t know about you, but I’m tuckered out—failure does that to a person.”

“Tch. I don’t think you failed _that_ terribly…” Keiji chided.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise!”

“I know you will. Now let’s get some rest so we have energy to scrape the stove out tomorrow morning.”

“Aw man…”

Bokuto lowered himself down and snuggled right up to Tobio while Akaashi cradled the boy against his chest, free hand still clasping the rose charm around his neck. _He really does spoil me too much_ , Keiji thought with a quiet exhale, glancing between his sleeping son and dozing husband. A small drop of drool was about to sneak out of Tobio’s lips, adding to the adorable image of his flushed cheeks and rosy nose—Bokuto, on the other hand, looked far too handsome for someone who had such a long day, thick legs stretched out loosely, strong shoulders still covered by a pink plaid shirt with the sleeves stained and rolled-up on his forearms, one hanging around Tobio like a shield. Golden eyes were fluttering closed, fatigue finally getting to him, although it hadn’t affected his determination earlier. Such desire to have the perfect Valentine’s Day no matter what was one of many things Keiji admired about his husband.

Because of that hard work and dedication, he wasn’t going to ask Bokuto how much the necklace cost.

“By the way,” Akaashi whispered, keeping his eyes closed. “Kuroo wasn’t the one who told you to lie, was he? You were probably going to make me think you two made the coucougnette, right?”

“…”

“Whatever will I do with you boys?” Keiji sighed, moving his hand so it rested on Bokuto’s arm.

“Love us eternally?” Koutarou suggested. Even though his eyes were closed, he knew Akaashi was smiling by the curve of his lips when he kissed Bokuto’s forehead lovingly. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Kaashi. Love you.”

“I love you, too. Thanks for the perfect day.”

Koutarou had to grin at that. What had be done to deserve such a forgiving husband? Maybe disastrous holidays were the best way to earn forgiveness sex.

“…Bokuto.”

“Hm?”

“Why is there something crunchy under my pillow?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Bokuto.”

“The little cockblocker made me do it, ‘Kaashi!”

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends!!! It's been so long (since August, i think??) since i've written about my otp. i missed their sappy hearts. I'm planning an a/o/b fic for them soon, so keep holding out on me! ENJOY~~~
> 
> chat me up on tumblr suguruslut
> 
> p.s. i changed my username...again. welcome suguru_slut into your hearts


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